The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia

though not her person, awaked pity in us, and I went to her, while Musidorus laboured about Palladius. But the wound was past the cure of a better surgeon than myself, so as I could but receive some few of her dying words, which were cursings of her ill-set affection, and wishing unto me many crosses and mischances in my love, whensoever I should love, wherein I fear, and only fear that her prayer is from above granted. But the noise of this fight, and issue thereof being blazed by the country people to some noblemen thereabouts; they came thither, and finding the wrong offered us, let us go on our journey, we having recommended those royal bodies unto them to be conveyed to the king of Iberia.” With that Philoclea seeing the tears stand in his eyes with remembrance of Palladius, but much more of that which thereupon grew, she would needs drink a kiss from those eyes, and he suck another from her lips; whereat she blushed, and yet kissed him again to hide her blushing, which had almost brought Pyrocles into another discourse, but that she with so sweet a rigour forbade him, that he durst not rebel, though he found it a great war to keep that peace, but was fain to go on in his story; but so she absolutely bade him, and he durst not know how to disobey. “So,” said he, “parting from that place before the sun had much abased himself of his greatest height, we saw sitting upon the dry sands, which yielded, at that time, a very hot reflection, a fair {237} gentlewoman, whose gesture accused her of much sorrow, and every way showed she cared not what pain she put her body to, since the better part, her mind, was laid under so much agony: and so was she dulled, withal, that we could come so near as to hear her speeches, and yet she not perceive the hearers of her lamentation. But well we might understand her at times say, ‘Thou doest kill me with thy unkind falsehood: and it grieves me not to die, but it grieves me that thou art the murderer: neither doth mine own pain so much vex me, as thy error. For God knows, it would not trouble me to be slain for thee, but much it torments me to be slain by thee; thou art untrue, Pamphilus, thou art untrue, and woe is me therefore. How oft did’st thou swear unto me that the sun should lose his light, and the rocks run up and down like little kids, before thou would’st falsify thy faith to me? sun therefore put out thy shining, and rocks run mad for sorrow; for Pamphilus is false. But alas! the sun keeps his light, though thy faith be darkened; the rocks stand still, though thou change like a weather-cock. O fool that I am, that thought I could grasp water, and bind the wind. I might well have known thee by others, but I would not; and rather wished to learn poison by drinking it myself, while my love helped thy words to deceive me. Well, yet I would thou had’st made a better choice when though did’st forsake thy unfortunate Leucippe. But it is no matter, Baccha, thy new mistress, will revenge my wrongs. But do not Baccha, let Pamphilus live happy, though I die.’ “And much more to such like phrase she spoke, but that I, who had occasion to know something of that Pamphilus, stepped to comfort her: and though I could not do that, yet I got thus much knowledge of her, that this being the same Leucippe, to whom the unconstant Pamphilus had betrothed himself, which had moved the other ladies to such indignation as I told you: neither her worthiness, which in truth was great, nor his own suffering for her, which is wont to endear affection, could fetter his fickleness, but that before his marriage day appointed, he had taken to wife that Baccha, of whom she complained, one that in divers places I had heard before placed, as the most impudently unchaste woman of all Asia, and withal of such an imperiousness therein, that she would not stick to employ them whom she made unhappy with her favour, to draw more companions of their folly: in the multitude of whom she did no less glory, than a captain would do of being followed by brave soldiers: waywardly proud; and therefore bold, because extremely faulty: and yet having no good thing to redeem both these, and other unlovely parts, but a little beauty, disgraced with wandering eyes, and unweighed speeches, yet had Pamphilus, for her, left Leucippe, and withal, {238} left his faith; Leucippe, of whom one look, in a clear judgment, would have been more acceptable than all her kindnesses so prodigally bestowed. For myself, the remembrance of his cruel handling Dido, joined to this, stirred me to seek some revenge upon him, but that I thought it should be again for him to lose his life, being so matched: and therefore, leaving him to be punished by his own election, we conveyed Leucippe to a house thereby, dedicated to Vestal nuns, where she resolved to spend all her years, which her youth promised should be many, in bewailing the wrong, and yet praying for the wrong-doer. “But the next morning, we, having striven with the sun’s earliness, were scarcely beyond the prospect of the high turrets of that building, when there overtook us a young gentleman, for so he seemed to us: but indeed, sweet lady, it was the fair Zelmane, Plexirtus’s daughter, whom unconsulting affection, unfortunately born to me-wards, had made borrow so much of her natural modesty, as to leave her more decent raiments, and taking occasion of Andromana’s tumultuous pursuing us, had apparelled herself like a page, with a pitiful cruelty cutting off her golden hair, leaving nothing, but the short curls, to cover that noble head, but that she wore upon it a fair headpiece, a shield at her back, and a lance in her hand, else disarmed. Her apparel of white, wrought upon with broken knots, her horse, fair and lusty; which she rid so, as might show a fearful boldness, daring to do that which she knew that she knew not how to do: and the sweetness of her countenance did give such a grace to what she did that it did make handsome the unhandsomeness, and make the eye force the mind to believe that there was a praise in that unskilfulness. But she straight approached me, and with few words, which borrowed the help of her countenance to make themselves understood, she desired me to accept her into my service, telling me she was a nobleman’s son of Iberia, her name Diaphantus, who having seen what I had done in that court, had stolen from her father, to follow me. I enquired the particularities of the manner of Andromana’s following me, which by her I understood, she hiding nothing but her sex from me. And still methought I had seen that face, but the great alteration of her fortune, made her far distant from my memory: but liking very well the young gentleman, such I took her to be, admitted this Diaphantus about me, who well showed there is no service like his, that serves because he loves. For though born of princes’ blood, brought up with tenderest education, unapt to service, because a woman, and full of thoughts, because in a strange estate, yet love enjoined such diligence, that no apprentice, no, no bondslave could ever be by fear more ready at all commandments than that young {239} princess was. How often, alas! did her eyes say unto me that they loved? and yet, I not looking for such a matter, had not my conceit open to understand them: how often would she come creeping to me, between gladness to be near me, and fear to offend me? truly I remember, that then I marvelled to see her receive my commandments with sighs, and yet do them with cheerfulness: sometimes answering me in such riddles, as then I thought a childish inexperience, but since returning to my remembrance they have come more clear unto my knowledge: and pardon me, only dear lady, that I use many words, for her affection to me, deserves of me an affectionate speech. “But in such sort did she serve me in that kingdom of Bithynia, for two months space: in which time we brought to good end a cruel war long maintained between the king of Bithynia and his brother. For my excellent cousin, and I, dividing ourselves to either side, found means, after some trial we had made of ourselves, to get such credit with them, as we brought them to as great peace between themselves as love toward us for having made the peace. Which done, we intended to return through the kingdom of Galatia, called Thrace, to ease the care of our father and mother, who, we were sure, first with the shipwreck, and then with the other dangers we daily passed, should have little rest in their thoughts till they saw us. But we were not entered into that kingdom, when by the noise of a great fight we were guided to a pleasant valley, which like one of those circuses, which in great cities somewhere doth give a pleasant spectacle of running horses, so of either side, stretching itself in a narrow length, was it hemmed in by woody hills, as if indeed nature had meant therein to make a place for beholders. And there we beheld one of the cruellest fights between two knights that ever hath adorned the most martial story. So as I must confess, a while we stood bewondered, another while delighted with the rare beauty thereof; till seeing such streams of blood, as threatened a drowning of life, we galloped toward them to part them. But we were prevented by a dozen armed knights, or rather villains, who using this time of their extreme feebleness, altogether set upon them. But common danger broke off particular discord, so that, though with a dying weakness, with a lively courage they resisted, and by our help drove away, or slew those murdering attemptors: among whom we happened to take alive the principal. But going to disarm those two excellent knights, we found, with no less wonder to us than astonishment to themselves, that they were the two valiant, and indeed famous brothers, Tydeus and Telenor, whose adventure, as afterward we made that ungracious wretch confess, had thus fallen out. {240} “After the noble prince Leonatus had by his father’s death, succeeded in the kingdom of Galatia, he forgetting all former injuries, had received that naughty Plexirtus into a strange degree of favour, his goodness being as apt to be deceived, as the other’s craft was to deceive; till by plain proof, finding that the ungrateful man went about to poison him, yet would he not suffer his kindness to be overcome, not by justice itself; but calling him to him, used words to this purpose; ‘Plexirtus,’ said he, ‘this wickedness is found by thee; no good deeds of mine have been able to keep it down in thee: all men counsel me to take away thy life, likely to bring forth nothing but as dangerous as wicked effects; but I cannot find it in my heart, remembering what father’s son thou art: but since it is the violence of ambition which perchance pulls thee from thine own judgment, I will see whether the satisfying that, may quiet the ill-working of thy spirits. Not far hence is the great city of Trebizond; which, with the territory about it, anciently pertained unto this crown; now unjustly possessed, and as unjustly abused by those who have neither title to hold it, nor virtue to rule it. To the conquest of that for thyself I will lend thee force, and give thee my right: go therefore, and, with less unnaturalness glut thy ambition there; and that done, if it be possible, learn virtue.’ “Plexirtus, mingling foresworn excuses with false-meant promises, gladly embraced the offer: and hastily sending back for those two brothers, who at that time were with us succouring the gracious queen Erona, by their virtue chiefly, if not only, obtained the conquest of that goodly dominion. Which indeed, done by them, gave them such an authority, that though he reigned, they in effect ruled, most men honouring them because they only deserved honour, and many thinking